Little Canada: Truck plunges off I-35E overpass, onto holding pond

A Ford Ranger plunged from an overpass and crashed onto a frozen holding pond beside Interstate 35E in Little Canada early Tuesday morning -- one of many vehicles during the morning rush hour that likely hit a patch of near-invisible black ice before careening off the road.

The truck was northbound on I-35E along the overpass to westbound Interstate 694 when it lost control and fell onto the frozen pond shortly after 7 a.m., according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

Emergency crews worked for nearly an hour to cut open the vehicle and remove the driver, a 54-year-old woman from Maplewood.

She suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and was sent to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, the patrol said.

Nearly 150 crashes and nearly 40 instances of vehicles running off the road dotted metro highways during rush hour, according to State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske.

At least six rollovers crippled major arteries at various times, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. There were no reports of serious injuries or fatalities.

The black ice -- frozen exhaust that's very difficult to see -- was the likely culprit in many of the incidents, authorities said.

Tuesday's high temperature isn't expected to escape 1 degree, and with wind chills approaching the 20-degree-below-zero range, the evening commute will likely be just as hazardous.